What Do You Consider Excessive?

In football, you can get a penalty for "excessive celebration". I'm glad real life isn't that way...and I'm sure Emery would agree.

He turned 5 years old on Friday, July 2nd, and celebrated for a whole week! On that Friday, he spent the day celebrating with his immediate family. That started with breakfast at McDonald's which included 5 candles in his pancake. :) Then they went to Fernbank Museum, the IMAX show, the Georgia Aquarium and Piedmont Park. A fun day for sure.

But on Sunday, the 4th of July, he celebrated again with the York and Simons sides of the family. He shared his party with his uncle Johnathan who has his birthday on the 4th. They each had a cake, so there was lots of singing...and homemade ice cream to go with the cakes.

His birthday cake had Spider Man on it and he loved it. But, basically, this year he is all about Toy Story 3. A few weeks ago, he found a sale flyer in the Sunday paper that was advertising all the Toy Story toys that K-Mart had on sale. He was circling them and telling us who could buy him what for his upcoming birthday. So when Jodi told him on Sunday morning that we'd be coming over for his party later, he was asking her if we got him what was on the list. She said she didn't know and he'd have to wait to see. He kept emphasizing that he gave us a list and he hoped that we remembered! That party, of course, was followed up with lighting sparklers and watching the fire works display from a local church.

Then the final celebration was held a week later...on Friday, July 9th. He got to take a few friends (and be joined by family) to see a Gwinnett Braves' ballgame at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. That party consisted of hot dogs, chips, Cracker Jacks, cookies, Cokes, and cupcakes together before the game. Then...bellies full of all this "ballgame food"...the kids got to play in the big jumpy things until the game started. Between the 2nd and 3rd innings, Emery -- along with two other children who were also celebrating birthdays -- got to be on the big screen and have the crowd sing Happy Birthday to them.

So I believe the partying is over...for now, at least. But Emery is certainly worth celebrating. Even to excess. He is a sweet, loving, funny little cutie pie and we can't imagine our lives without him.

Pag Man

Emery has lived the last 3 of his 4 years under the assumption that he can do anything his big sister can do. Once he knew how to walk and talk, he saw himself as her equal. So now that she is deeply entrenched in first grade of home school, he's eager to learn, too. She's reading -- so he wants to read. He will look closely at letters and sound them out to try to make words.

The other day he was wearing his GAP sweatshirt. He looked down and started "reading" what his shirt said. Apparently he can read letters upside down -- but not backwards. From his point of view...and reading from left to right...he started sounding them out. He made a good strong "P" sound -- then got the short "A" right -- and then sounded out the "G". Softly sounding them out again and then putting them together, he proudly announced, "Pag!"